Draft Day
First of all, happy draft day!
Second of all, I apologize for my writing in this space being infrequent over the past month or so. It has been a case of me needing to spend basically all my time focused on getting Baseball America in the best position possible for our draft coverage of the 2025 class.
It’s a little before noon as I’m writing this and we’re only a few hours away from the Nationals making the first overall pick.
The last few days and weeks have been a flurry as we’ve tried our best to project what’s going to happen in the first 43 picks, put the finishing touches on our BA 500 draft board and put out all sorts of supplemental coverage and analysis on the site, on the podcast feeds and on the YouTube channel.
MLB Network has been kind enough to have me back on their day one broadcast of the draft, so if you’re watching tonight you can find me breaking down players alongside Jim Callis, Lance Brozdowski and the rest of the MLBNetwork crew. It feels crazy to say this is my eighth year doing the draft on TV.
Despite all those years, the pre-game jitters never seem to leave me entirely. I’m always wondering if there’s some player out there I’m missing or some player that I need to be more brushed up on than I am. Typically that anxiety fades away as we get into the draft itself, but it is a similar feeling to what it was like to lace them up in high school years and years ago.
Either way, thank you all for supporting me by reading this newsletter, reading BA, listening to the podcasts, watching the shows on YouTube or subscribing to all of the above. This is one of the biggest nights of the year for us, and we hope to give you the best coverage we possibly can.
Below are some of the tentpoles items we have on the site for draft day that I think are most worth your time:
Mock Draft V 7.0 — This will be our final mock this year. I am leaning Kade Anderson over Ethan Holliday, but they both seem like the favorites.
The BA 500 — This is the best place to get informed on the players picked. It’s my resource when talking through players on the draft show. It’s the culmination of multiple years of effort from the entire team here at BA.
Top 100 Senior Sign Targets — This will be a great resource once the senior signs start coming off the board. Between the BA 500 and this list, we’ve got nearly a full draft’s worth of names and reports.
What We’re Hearing Before The Draft — Some last-minute buzz from yesterday that could contextualize what happens on draft day if some players start to slide around.
The Ultimate Draft Preview — Ben, Peter and myself talked through the entire first round on a nearly three hour podcast. You still have time to listen to the full thing if you’re crazy enough.
Why The Orioles Are One Of The Draft’s Most Interesting Teams — Bonus pool and extra pick shenanigans.
12 Prospects Who Could Reach The Majors Quickly — Geoff Pontes highlights some fast-moving targets to know.
The 2025 MLB Draft Guide — Your resource for basic FAQ’s, things to know, how to watch, the draft order and more.
The Draft Database — This houses the entire history of the draft and will be updated in real time as the draft takes place. You’ll be able to sort by team and players will be populated with their scouting reports as well.
As the draft is happening we’ll have pick-by-pick analysis on the site, we’ll have a best available board and plenty more to get you ready for day two.
Thanks again everyone—hope you enjoy the big day.